Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sánchez says Southwest rejected her as a flight attendant because of her weight
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Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sánchez revealed she was once turned down for a flight attendant job because of her weight.
The 53-year-old journalist and helicopter pilot recalled that she wanted to be a flight attendant when she was 18, but lost out on a position with Southwest Airlines in 1989 after failing a mandatory weigh-in.
“Back then they weighed you and I weighed 1[ads1]21 pounds,” the Emmy Award winner recalled during an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “They said, ‘You must be 115.’
Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sánchez revealed that she was once turned down for a job as a flight attendant at Southwest Airlines because of her weight. (Getty/Getty Images)
Sánchez told the outlet that she would have reacted differently if that situation were to arise now.
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The media personality said she would tell the airline, “I don’t want to be a flight attendant. I want to be a pilot!”
Until the 1990s, many airlines had strict height and weight requirements for flight attendants and mandatory weighing.
According to the Southwest Airlines career site, flight attendant applicants’ “weight must be in such proportion to height that a neat appearance is maintained and the physical ability to perform all job functions is not impeded.”
In addition, job applicants must “be able to lift objects up to 50 pounds from floor to shoulder level as needed.”
A representative for Southwest Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Sánchez went on to become a reporter and anchor at KTVK in Phoenix, Arizona and later worked at Fox Sports Net, Los Angeles’ Fox 11 and Extra.
The 53-year-old journalist and helicopter pilot recalled that she wanted to be a flight attendant when she was 18, but lost out on a position in 1989 after failing a mandatory weigh-in. (Daniel Jack Lyons for WSJ. Magazine. / Fox News)
The New Mexico native, whose parents were both pilots, earned her helicopter pilot’s license in 2016. She later launched Black Ops Aviation, a woman-owned aviation film and production company.
Sánchez said she makes an effort to fly at least three times a week to stay up-to-date and often gets in the cockpit to fly Bezos, 59, and their families around the world.
“I don’t know why more women don’t do it,” she told the WSJ.
The former “View” host explained that she founded Black Ops Aviation when she noted the lack of other female aviators.,
“Less than nine percent of pilots are women,” she said. “It is! Of that percentage, even fewer are helicopter pilots. How many female pilots do you see in every movie? What do you see? You see male pilots. And then [women] don’t realize they can do that.”
Sánchez said other women are surprised and impressed when they learn she is a pilot.
“They’re shocked!” she said. “They’re like, ‘What? You’re so mean!’ And I’d say it’s really not that hard. I want more women to get involved.”
Sánchez told the WSJ that she is very excited about her plans to lead a female mission to space on Blue Origin, which will take place by 2024.
“There are going to be women who are making a difference in the world and who are impactful and who have a message to send,” she said.
Five women will join Sánchez on the mission, but their names will not be announced until closer to the launch date.
The former broadcaster said working with Bezos on the Blue Origin mission and other projects is the “greatest experience I’ve ever had.” (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
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Although Sánchez said Bezos is getting her pilot’s license, she said the Amazon founder would not be joining her on the mission.
“As much as he wants to go on this flight, I have to hold him back,” Sánchez said. “He’s going to be cheering us all on from the sidelines.”
Sánchez and Bezos went public with their relationship in 2019 while both divorced their former spouses, Patrick Whitesell and MacKenzie Scott.
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The former broadcaster said working with Bezos on the Blue Origin mission and other projects is the “greatest experience I’ve ever had.”
“I’ve always had a very separate career from my partner,” she said. “I now believe that I can work with my partner, and be with him all the time… We love being together and we love working together.”
